Group seeks revived Queens, N.Y., rail route

In Queens, N.Y., the Queens Public Transit Committee for the Reactivation of Rockaway Beach Line plans a media event Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, in order to emphasize public support for reactivation of a long-disused rail right-of-way for rail transit purposes.

The rally and press conference will be held near MTA New York City Transit's IND A-train Far Rockaway Station, and is promising a vow of support for rail restoration on the line, the Rockaway Beach Branch, from a candidate for Queens Borough President. Municipal elections will be held this November.

The committee hopes to counter an effort by some to convert the right-of-way to a rail trail, dubbed "Queensway," sought by some as the borough's answer to Manhattan's successful High Line conversion of ex-New York Central elevated right-of-way.

In a statement, the committee asserts that rail trail/park option would "literally stop growth in Queens and also as a transit option, and will further divide Queens."

Roughly five miles in length, the Rockaway Beach Branch saw Long Island Rail Road service until 1962. The line at present is owned by New York City.